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STUDENTS' E-MAIL NEWS FROM CZECH REPUBLIC
Faculty of Social Science of Charles University
Smetanovo nabr. 6
110 01 Prague 1
Czech Republic
e-mail: CAROLINA@cuni.cz
tel: (+4202) 24810804, ext. 252, fax: (+4202) 24810987
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
C A R O L I N A No 276, Friday, February 13, 1998.
FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (February 4-11)
Central European Mission in the USA
Foreign Minister Jaroslav Sedivy left for an official visit to the
United States November 8, and returned February 11. He, Polish Foreign
Minister Bronislaw Geremek and Hungarian Foreign Minister Laszlo Kovacs
lobbied to support their countries in a political, economic and military
effort to meet NATO criteria. The post-Communist countries need
a two-thirds majority of U.S. Senate votes on NATO expansion this March
to join the alliance.
American Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who met with the
three ministers February 9, called on the Senate to ratify expansion. At
the same time, she rejected proposals to halt expansion. Certain
American senators stated that NATO expansion could create new borders in
Europe and threaten relations with Russia. Albright said American
business, unions, all former living Secretaries of State and U.S.
veterans are for expansion.
The Czech foreign minister and his Polish and Hungarian
counterparts met with Republican Senate leader Trent Lott, Democratic
minority leader Tom Daschel and others. Both Lott and Daschel support
the three countries' NATO membership. Analysts expect the 100-member
Senate to support the two-thirds vote.
Prokop Havel/Andrea Snyder
After deadline: The government proposal for the Czech signature of the
NATO treaty was passed into a second reading February 12 in Parliament
(143 votes for, 39 against), with the Communists and neo-fascist
Republicans against.
Social Democrats Boycott Czech-German Talks
The Social Democrats (CSSD) said February 6 they will boycott the
Czech-German Discussion Forum because the German government has
nominated Sudeten-German Regional Association Chairman Franz Neubauer
for the coordination committee. CSSD Chairman Milos Zeman said he
rejects including Neubauer, because Neubauer exclusively concerns
himself with the past. Both the Communist and neo-fascist Republican
parties are boycotting the forum as well. German Foreign Minister Klaus
Kinkel and Jaroslav Sedivy announced the nominees at a February 5
meeting in Bonn.
Church leaders Zdenek Susa and Daniel Herman, academics Jacques
Rupnik, Jan Kren and Barbara Kopplova, journalist Lida Rakusanova and
representatives of those persecuted by the Nazi regime - Vladimir
Hlavaty and Oldrich Stransky - were named to the Czech delegation.
Germany is represented by former Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher
and Bundestag Vice Chairwoman Antje Vollmerova.
Council membership is not compensated and the Czech-German Future
Fund will finance activities. The council is to propose and prepare
projects and topics for talks between the countries, the ministers said.
The forum will officially begin its activities in Prague February
13.
Nora Novakova and Prokop Havel/Andrea Snyder
ODA Confesses to False Sponsors
Such was the headline of an article in the February 7 edition of
daily MF DNES dealing with another political-party financing scandal,
this time within the Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA). The scandal with
fake sponsors from the Virgin Islands is much more serious than the
mystery surrounding ODA's dead sponsor, 79-year-old Jan Kotynek of
Prague. His small contribution - 70,000 crowns - does not necessitate
a gift document or any other more detailed information about the donor.
However, ODA does not seem to be willing to reveal the names of other
sponsors hiding behind the million-crown gifts.
ODA admitted that the TMC company, residing in the Virgin Islands,
through which the party received about 6 million crowns, was created
only to hide the real sponsors, two Czech and one foreign companies.
According to the unofficial sources from ODA, the culprit in the affair
is the former Trade Minister Vladimir Dlouhy.
Even among ODA members, the number of those who are convinced that
the party should reveal not only the real names of the sponsors but also
the persons in the party who promised them anonymity is increasing.
ODA Vice Chairmen Michael Zantovsky and Miroslav Toser said they
would welcome the release of the party sponsors. Vice Chairman Pavel
Bratinka is, on the contrary, convinced that "It is better to lose life
than honor," and he said the sponsoring companies should reveal
themselves.
Ivona Pulkrabkova/Ivona Pulkrabkova
Parties to Curb Election Campaign Expenses
The Czech parliamentary political parties decided February 10 to
keep their election campaign expenses below a limit of 30 million crowns
per party. Only the neo-fascist Republicans did not join the agreement
and asked for an extra week to consider the issue.
The gentleman's agreement also includes a ban on the use of
billboards for outdoor advertising from April 1 to election day. The
broadcasting time reserved for spot advertising on public radio and
television should be used for panel discussions or round-table debates.
Nora Novakova/Milan Smid
Social Democrats Misinformed about Funds
The February 9 issue of the weekly Respekt revealed information
about irregularities in the accounts of the Czech Social Democratic
Party (CSSD). According to Respekt, the report from party management,
which the CSSD showed to its members in March, is different from the
document the members of Parliament received from the party two weeks
later as the required annual report on party finances. According to the
first document, the party earned more than 13 million crowns on property
rent, while according to the second one it earned 2.5 million crowns.
Social Democrat Vice Chairman and Treasurer Ivo Svoboda explains the
different data by saying the data in the parliamentary report was
reduced by the income from the rent of the People's House (Lidovy dum),
which is not yet official Social Democrat property. Discrepancies in the
amounts of sponsorship gifts are explained by Svoboda as having been
anonymous gifts (about 1 million crowns), which were later added to and
taxed as other income.
It was also revealed that the Social Democrats received 10 million
crowns from the former Czechoslovak Communist Party in 1990. The
Communists gave the money for the reconstruction of the People's House,
the historic Prague seat of the CSSD where the first Czech Communist
Party was established and where the American Culture Center now resides.
Nora Novakova/Nora Novakova
Freedom Union Records Successful Poll Debut
It was just several days ago when former members of the Civic
Democratic Party (ODS) established a new party, and today the Freedom
Union (FU) is the third-most popular political party in the country,
according to a new poll taken by the Sofres-Factum agency. The Freedom
Union received 10.3 per cent.
The Civic Democratic Party (ODS) finished a tad better - 12 per cent
- which is, however, the lowest support in its history. The Social
Democrats confirmed their leading position with 27.5 per cent. The
preferences of the Christian Democrats fell from 9.7 per cent at the
beginning of the year to 6.9 per cent. Also the Civic Democratic
Alliance has lost poll support - from 6.6 per cent to 5.9 per cent. The
recent government crisis and political fights supported the neo-fascist
Republicans, which saw preferences rise during two weeks from 6.8 per
cent to 8.2 per cent. The Communists recorded a slight decrease - from
10.5 per cent to 9.6 per cent.
Czech Television has doubted about the objectivity of the
pre-election success of the Freedom Union, informing about the dinner
Defense Minister and Freedom Union member Michal Lobkowicz had with the
directors of two powerful polling agencies at the ministry January 26.
Lobkowicz said he was only talking about the prestige of our army with
the bosses of Sofres-Factum and STEM - Jan Herzmann and Jan Hartl.
Nora Novakova/Nora Novakova
NEWS IN BRIEF
* All members of Prime Minister Josef Tosovsky's government will have
to provide full statements of their assets, the balance of their bank
accounts, the spouses' assets and their securities holdings. It is
a voluntary step for Cabinet members, not a legal requirement. The asset
statements for ministers and prime minister when they take their oaths
and when they leave office should defeat accusations of the use of
office for personal gain (information from the daily Lidove noviny,
February 10). The statements, as in France and the US, are not available
to the public and will be deposited with the chairman of the Senate for
three years.
* The Prague 1 Financial Office filed a criminal complaint against
Libor Novak, former vice chairman of the Civic Democratic Party, last
week. The police will investigate whether Novak was deliberately
covering party sponsor and former pro tennis player Milan Srejbr, and
thus depriving the state of 170,000 crowns in taxes. Taxes are reduced
when a large donation from one donor is split and attributed to two
people.
* Michal Kovac Jr., son of the Slovak president, was arrested February
3 by the Czech police at the Czech-German border in Rozvadov. Kovac said
he wants to be extradited to Germany, where a 1994 warrant for his
arrest is still pending because of suspicions that he took part in
a financial fraud costing the Technopol company 2.3 million dollars
(information from the February 5 edition of daily MF DNES).
After deadline: Kovac was extradited to Germany February 12.
* David Rath, chairman of the Physicians' Union Club, will be working
in Prague's Motol Faculty Hospital for the next three years, according
to a decision by Health Minister Zuzana Roithova. Thus, the disagreement
between the hospital and Rath, which started when the hospital refused
to renew Rath's annual contract (it expired at the end of last year),
came to an end. Hospital Director Helena Rognerova said the main reason
for the disagreement with Rath was to disloyalty to hospital management
and his other activities (including the proposed strike last spring)
that cost the hospital 4 million crowns. For further information see
Carolina 271.
Lenka Vochocova/Sofia Karakeva
FROM SLOVAKIA
Second Presidential Election Round Indecisive
Neither of the two presidential candidates, Stefan Markus and Juraj
Hrasko, won the necessary three-fifths support of the National Assembly
in the Slovak presidential elections. Markus, nominated by the Slovak
Democratic Coalition, won 37 votes, and Slovak Democratic Left candidate
Hrasko won 24 votes from the 150-member assembly.
The candidates for the next round March 5 have not been announced.
President Michal Kovac's mandate ends March 2, and experts say Premier
Vladimir Meciar will have taken many of the president's powers by that
time (see Carolina 275).
Some observers are backing Rudolf Schuster, the popular mayor of
Kosice, to win the elections. He is also founding a political party
called the Party for Civic Understanding. Czech daily MF DNES reported
the commercial television Markiza and the left-wing newspaper Pravda
have made major contributions to the new party.
Prokop Havel/Andrea Snyder
ECONOMY
January Inflation Higher Than Expected
January inflation was up 13.1 per cent from the previous month,
higher than even the most pessimistic of experts expected. Real
inflation increased 1.5 per cent, which is twice as high as January
1997 inflation.
Goods and service prices grew 4 per cent in January. Analysts say
deregulation, reflected and perhaps exaggerated by retailers, influenced
the jump. The rate of inflation over the past 12 months grew to 8.9 per
cent.
Housing expenditures have leaped up 35 per cent, and
transportation, leisure expenses, and education are up by 10 per cent to
15 per cent.
In this light, the Czech National Bank's commitment to decrease net
inflation to 6 per cent is unrealistic, and it is not known whether the
Czech National Bank will increase rates, which could suffocate already
stagnant growth. The state budget was calculated, perhaps
optimistically, with expectations of 9 per cent inflation rise.
Ondrej Hanzal/Andrea Snyder
Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank
(valid from February 13)
country currency
------------------------------------------
Australia 1 AUD 23.279
Belgium 100 BEF 91.655
Great Britain 1 GBP 56.203
Denmark 1 DKK 4.964
ECU 1 XEU 37.358
Finland 1 FIM 6.234
France 1 FRF 5.644
Ireland 1 IEP 47.468
Italy 1000 ITL 19.163
Japan 100 JPY 27.941
Canada 1 CAD 23.924
Luxemburg 100 LUF 91.655
SDR 1 XDR 46.394
Hungary 100 HUF 16.530
Netherlands 1 NLG 16.791
Norway 1 NOK 4.552
New Zealand 1 NZD 20.086
Poland 1 PLN 9.676
Portugal 100 PTE 18.483
Austria 1 ATS 2.689
Greece 100 GRD 11.967
Germany 1 DEM 18.925
Slovakia 100 SKK 96.917
Slovenia 100 SIT 20.020
Spain 100 ESP 22.323
Sweden 1 SEK 4.235
Switzerland 1 CHF 23.536
USA 1 USD 34.373
CULTURE
Buttoners Win in Rotterdam
The episodic film from Petr Zelenka, Buttoners (Knoflikari),
received one of the three main prizes at the Rotterdam international
film festival. The second feature film by the screenwriter and director
copied the successful festival campaign of his debut - Mnaga Happy End.
Pavel Marek's film Dead Beetle (Mrtvej brouk), was also in the
competition. The debut by documentary filmmaker Ivan Vojnar, The Way
through the Deserted Woods (Cesta pustym lesem), was presented outside
the competition.
Other prestigious festivals, such as Toronto, Seattle, Solun and
Helsinky, stated their interest in all the Czech films presented in
Rotterdam. Their organizers would like to arrange a retrospect of
Zelenka's films.
Ondrej Hanzal/Ivona Pulkrabkova
Ty-Ty TV Awards
This year's Ty-Ty television awards once again reflected the
conservatism of Czech viewers.
The celebration was hosted - like last year - by Marek Eben, whose
cultivated humor was the main currency of the ceremony. Nine out of the
11 awards were given to the same people as last year.
New winners were this year's best TV show, Don't Hesitate and Shoot
(Nevahej a toc) and best writer Karel Pech. In the overall vote count,
Lucie Bila moved past last year's winner Karel Gott.
Best actress and best actor went respectively to Jirina Bohdalova
for the fifth time and Miroslav Donutil. Best singers were Lucie Bila
and Karel Gott. Most popular newscaster was Martin Sekera, best public
affairs host was Radek John and best sportscaster was Pavel Poulicek.
All three, from TV NOVA, won for the second time. Saskia Buresova was
named best announcer, and the best entertainer award went to Martin
Dejdar.
Former Czech Television Director Ivo Mathe, who is going to work as
vice chief of staff for President Vaclav Havel from April, received
a strong ovation.
Ondrej Hanzal/Sofia Karakeva
Ferdinand Peroutka Award Goes to Epicentrum Reporters
The prize named for famed Czech journalist Ferdinand Peroutka was
awarded February 6 to Jindra Klimova from Czech Radio for her lifetime
achievement. The team of reporters from the Epicentrum Agency - Petra
Prochazkova, Jaromir Stetina and Petr Jancarek - received the second
prize.
Ondrej Hanzal/Ivona Pulkrabkova
SPORT
Neumannova Wins First Winter Olympic Medal for Czech Republic
Cross-country skier Katerina Neumannova captured the silver medal in
her best discipline, the 5-km classic, but in weather she cursed. This
is the first medal in a winter Olympics for the independent Czech
Republic. Figure skater Petr Barna and teams in hockey and ski-jumping
got medals in Albertville in 1992 for the former Czechoslovakia.
The race started January 10 in a snowstorm. Neumannova, known for
disliking new snow in the tracks, started very fast, losing at the end
to Russia's Larissa Lazutina. Norwegian Bente Martinsen finished third.
A happy Neumannova said after the race that she "left a part of her life
on the track." The classic 5-km race is the first part of the
combination.
Three other female athletes took part in the competition, Hanusova
finishing 22nd, Saldova 28th and Kocumova 59th.
In the first race of the 15-km classic, Neumannova finished 9th. The
other Czechs: Saldova 30th, Fortova 45th.
Masarik Misses Medal by Millimeters
A millimeter's mistake in the last round of shooting took a medal
from Ivan Masarik in the 20-km biathlon race. His fourth place is, in
spite of the gaffe, an unexpectedly good result. The other Czechs
finished far behind winner Hanevold of Norway, with Holubec in 34th and
Garabik in 56th place.
The Czech women evidently had trouble with their wax and finished
with these results: Cesnekova 30th, Pelcova 38th, Losmanova 44th and
Hakova 53rd.
Ski Jumpers Show Good Results
Behind the surprising win of Finland's Janni Soininen ahead of the
Japanese favorites, the Czech's unexpected good result in the K-90 jumps
event was somewhat hidden. Michal Dolezal finished 11th, Frantisek Jez,
who scratched on his second attempt, was 24th. Also other two athletes
advanced to the second round, Sakala in 26th and Suchacek in 28th.
Men's Cross-Country Skiers Cannot Compete with Women
In men's cross-country skiing, even with Norwegian phenomenon Bjorn
Daehlie losing (in the end he was 20th), the Czechs also disappeared
from the top places. Only Jiri Magal managed a 22nd-place finish, Bauer
finished 53rd and veteran Lubomir Buchta did not finish.
Maxa Does Well in Alpine Skiing Program
Marcel Maxa is in the top 10 of the slalom combination. After the
first round he was 8th, but after a mistake in the second round he fell
to 9th. The combined downhill was postponed several times because of
weather conditions.
The youngest member of the Czech olympic team, 16-year-old Lucie
Hrstkova, finished 35th in the Super-G.
Berankova and Dlabola Are 15th-Best Pair
Figure skaters Katerina Berankova and Otto Dlabola finished 15th in
the pairs competition. The new couple (Berankova competed individually
and Dlabola with Joukalova until this season) was 14th after the short
program. After the first fall, Berankova's first with her new partner in
competition, they fell to 15th.
SPORTS IN BRIEF
* Biathloner Eva Hakova arrived to Nagano first, figure skater Lenka
Kulovana last.
* Cross-country skier Lubomir Buchta was the Czech team's flag-bearer
during the opening ceremony.
* Vladimir Ruzicka, members of the 1985 hockey world champions team,
was named captain of the hockey team.
AFTER DEADLINE
* Katerina Neumannova got another medal. In the 5-km classic and
10-km freestyle combination she finished third, behind Russians Lazutina
and Danilova.
* First match for the Czech hockey players: Czech Republic - Finland
3-0.
Mirek Langer/Mirek Langer
WEATHER
What was last week a normal winter has this week become abnormal.
We are pleased by the suspiciously warm daytime temperatures of 12
degrees Celsius/54 degrees Fahrenheit, which, along with the clear skies
and lack of wind are drawing lovers to Petrin Hill before spring has
sprung. One cannot sleep out-of-doors yet, however, as temperatures fall
below freezing after dark.
Ivona Pulkrabkova/Andrea Snyder
English version edited by Michael Bluhm
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